DFWI:

History

The story below is a recollection of the early history of the Bolton Landing site as told by Mrs. Moore during a visit in 1986. At the time, Mrs. Moore was approximately 85 years young. She was the daughter-in-law of the original builder of the main house on the property. She was kind enough to provide us with some interesting photographs from the turn of the century.

Rear Admiral John W. Moore

USN Rear Admiral John W. Moore, retired commandant of the Brooklyn Ship yards, bought approximately 1.7 acres in Bolton Landing in 1894 from the Finkle Family. They named it "The Mooring's". Construction of the main house was done in 1894-1896. (Which now serves as the living quarters, eating and cooking facilities for DFWI). Mr. and Mrs. Moore vacationed each summer there with their six children and two servants. Mr. Moore I believe died in 1916. His love for the area is noted by the fact that he is buried in the Bolton cemetery, not Brooklyn where their permanent home was.

The Institute's Early Years

The original construction consisted of 3 buildings, the main house, the Brookside cottage (originally a one story "playhouse" for the children) and a boathouse. After Mr. Moore's death the family sold the property in the late 1910's to an individual (Dr. Boehm, I believe) who added the wainscoting to the lower level of the main house and finished the stone work on the fireplace. No information is available as to other improvements he made to the property.

In the mid 1930's the property was purchased by a couple who began running the site as a summer resort. During the 1930's and 40's three cabins on the lower site and hillside cabin were built. It is presumed that during these years the larger kitchen wing was added to the main house to accommodate the serving of meals to guests staying in the bedrooms upstairs. It is also assumed that the "Brookside" cabin was raised to two floors during this period where the lower level, with its concrete slab and garage type doors housed storage of equipment for the resort during the winter months. At a later date, part of the "Brookside" lower level was converted into a rental unit for guests. In the mid 1960's the 4 room motel unit was constructed near the road.

1967-The Institute Opens Its Doors.

The Darrin Fresh Water Institute Laboratory was first opened at Lake George on Smith Bay across from the Hague in 1967. During the 1970's David M. Darrin '40 established the first of various endowments to DFWI. Additionally, in the 1980's the Darrins provided funding to purchase the new site for DFWI at Bolton Landing, which would be closer to RPI and more visible within the Lake George community. The site purchased by RPI was the aforementioned property, which was run as the "Sunnyshores Summer Resort" until 1981.

Rennovations for 21st Century Research

Since that time Rensselaer has continued to maintain all of the original buildings, though modifying some of the interior rooms for scientific use. In 1995 a state of the art 2.45 million dollar research and teaching facility was constructed adjacent to the main house. This building now known as the Teaching and Research Lab replaces the old four-unit motel, which had served as the laboratory for over 10 years. During 2002-2003, the main house received a major renovation. The new Education Center includes the first twelve-month lodging in the building since 1896. The lodge includes heating and air conditioning, Adirondack style furniture and appointments, a recreation room, and a state of the art computing and media center. The most recent renovations enable four season research and educational opportunities at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute.